The CSC on 23 July instructed the President’s Office to take appropriate action against Mundhu for violating the civil service law by being a delegate in the DRP’s India visit, reported Minivan News in its article “MDP, DRP Seek Indian Support“.

The Civil Service Act is one of several legislation introduced by the Maldivian Parliament to clip the wings of the President of Maldives and to make sure that he cannot be a dictator to his own people. They had only one very noble intention, if we cannot get rid of Maumoon, we will deprive him of his ability to perform. For the Maldivian Parliament (and all the other key players in the political front) the person of Maumoon became synonymous with the Head of State and the Government of Maldives. They had to make sure that he would be so fed up with heading a government that virtually ran through smaller independent agencies which had no control from the President elected by the people to head the government. They were effective in doing this through legislation and the new constitution that the Special Majlis adopted when tasked with revising it to enable a liberal democratic Islamic state of Maldives.

Our politicians lost sight of the big picture and the future of this nation. They displayed typical Maldivian heritage of our passion for living for the day and leaving our tomorrow in the Hands of Almighty. The irresponsibility and lack of character in the upcoming new constitution and the fast-track (baseless and senselss) legislation recently introduced by Parliament has left the country in a state of absolute confusion created by “first-class, five-star” legislation for a third-world people.

The Civili Service Commission set up by the President as required by law, gave hope for a professional body that would regulate and oversee the Maldivian Civil Service. Since their inception they seem to replicate the part of the ex-Monster they represent (the Public Service Division); only far worse. They seem to want to involve themselves directly in minute day to day matters of administration, when that is actually not their business.

The CSC seem to have lost the capacity to differentiate between the Commission and the Civil Service. The instruction given to the Permanent Secretary of the President’s Office by the CSC clearly shows this.

Ofcourse, the situation arose in the first place because of the creation of an Almighty Commission by Parliament. The CSC seem to have put themselves above the law by going against the law that created the Commission, in their appointment of Permanent Secretaries; and no one even dared raise the issue or take them to task. I know you will challenge me on this, because I am not literate in law. But I believe I can read Thaana fluently and understand it as well. The law requires in very clear language that the appointment of staff to the Civil Service should be first on academic merit. The CSC seems to think that it is not practical and therefore decided to overlook Article 5 (e) on page 3.

The Civil Service Law says that it should serve the people, when in actual effect it should serve the government. The CSC should be accountable to the government and not the other way around. They should enable the government to serve the people through the creation of a professional Civil Service for the Government of Maldives. The CSC ensures a professional civil service; it is not the institution that runs the government.

Just like the two recent first-class five-star budgets of the government, the first-class five-star institutions created by short-sighted legislation is edging us closer to Absolute Anarchy! Atleast, that is what came to my mind as I read the Minivan News article by Emily.